Monday Morning Meeting: How to Handle Hard-to-Talk to Patients – The Defensive Patient

Monday Morning Meeting: How to Handle Hard-to-Talk to Patients – The Defensive Patient

As you know, not every patient you speak with is going to be responsive and excited about their dental care. Knowing how to handle these hard-to-talk to patients will help you succeed in communicating. We recommend picking up Robin Wright’s Tough Questions, Great Answers: Responding to Patient Concerns About Today’s Dentistry. Here are some tips Wright recommends… This week’s patient is The Defensive Patient

The Defensive Patient

This patient is defensive. He or she is reluctant to hear what you have to say and may react to questions like they’re being attacked or judged. Often, this patient is afraid or confused.

The only tactic that will work with the Defensive patient is to build rapport.

Do This:

• Speak in layman’s terms
• Talk to them about anything other than dentistry for a bit. Converse about a topic that makes them comfortable.
• Relate to the patient
• Use open ended questions as much as possible
• Explain why certain questions are necessary before asking them

Don’t Do This:

• Don’t ask them questions loaded with technical jargon
• Don’t jump right into the consultation without relating to them first
• Don’t ask questions without explaining the reasoning first
• Don’t mirror any defensive body language
• Don’t hurry through the meeting or convey a sense of rushing

We highly recommend picking up Tough Questions, Great Answers: Responding to Patient Concerns About Today’s Dentistry by Robin Wright. In this book, Wright goes in depth into the best and most effective methods for handing customers and their questions. How to answer your patient’s questions is one of the most invaluable tools you and your staff can have. Tough Questions, Great Answers can be found on Amazon; Here is the link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Tough-Questions-Great-Answers-Responding/dp/0867153202